Golf is a tremendously popular sport played by millions of people around the world. However, it can be a very difficult sport to learn to play. The hand-eye coordination required to swing a golf club correctly can take years to master. The popularity of the sport and the devotion of its participants have created a tremendous demand for golf training aids and devices. Furthermore, golf courses the world over employ professionals who specialize in teaching individuals how to play the game and how to swing a golf club correctly.
As the demand for training aids has increased, various golf swing training devices have been developed. These devices can be divided into two distinct categories, training devices for putting swings and training devices for non-putting swings. The present invention relates to non-putting golf swings, and all references to the swing of a golf club or a golf swing contained herein shall refer to this type of swing.
Various golf swing training devices have been developed that incorporate lasers into the design and operation of the training aid as a means to provide useful information to a user during the swing of a golf club. U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,592 discloses an apparatus and method for teaching a user to swing a golf club that uses a two-laser system to track a user's swing and provide information to the user. A laser is mounted on the butt end of the grip of a golf club so as to project a laser beam away from the butt end of the handle, and a second laser is mounted on the shaft of the club so as to project a laser beam towards the head of the club. Information is provided to the user through the swing of the club by observing the laser points generated by the lasers along a center tape line crossing through the center of a golf ball. While this apparatus does provide information to a user throughout portions of the backswing and downswing of the golf club, it does not provide information related to the position of the face of the club during the majority of the backswing or downswing, and provides only momentary information during the follow through at the completion of the swing.
Another swing training device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,965, which discloses an apparatus for training a user to swing a golf club utilizing a laser attached to the shaft of a golf club that provides information to the user indicating the position and motion of the head of the golf club at the top of the backswing of the golf club. This device, however, only provides very momentary information, occurring only at the apex of the backswing. Throughout the rest of the swing, the device provides no information to the user about either the position of the club head or the plane of the swing of the club.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,592 discloses a golf swing training system that incorporates a laser in the butt end of the grip of a golf club so as to shine a laser beam away from the butt end of the handle. A user uses this apparatus in conjunction with a mat on which are depicted several arcuate light beam paths, such that the laser points follows a set path according to the type of shot the user wishes to make. This invention helps illustrate to a user the path of the club during the last part of the backswing and the first part of the downswing. However, it does not provide any information regarding the orientation of the club head, and does not provide the user with information throughout the majority of the swing of the club. In addition, the paths depicted on the mat may force the user into making an unnatural swing.
The prior art does provide apparatuses and methods for teaching a golf swing by using lasers to provide a user with information during the swing of a golf club. The information the user receives, however, may indicate many different things. Lacking in the prior art are methods and apparatuses to provide information to a user during the entire swing of a golf club, especially the follow through portion of the swing of the golf club. Of particular note, the follow through can affect the trajectory of the shot and the spin imparted to the ball upon impact with the club face, causing the ball to either slice or hook. Also lacking in the prior art is an effective means to track the position of the club face during the swing of the club, which is an even more important factor in causing the ball to slice or hook. Finally, the prior art discloses methods of training a user to swing a golf club that are not customizable depending on variables such as the height of the user, the length of the user's golf club, and the natural swing plane of the user. Accordingly, these methods may force users to swing a golf club in an unnatural, inefficient or incorrect manner.